WASHINGTON — Thorn Run Partners reported $28.60 million in federal lobbying revenue in the first nine months of 2026, up about 20% from $23.89 million in the same period of 2025, according to its Lobbying Disclosure Act filings. Part of the growth came from a new maritime practice: Louis Sola, the former chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, is listed on reports for nine clients this year, most of them port, shipping-fuel and maritime-technology companies.
The figures are fees clients reported paying the firm, not personal pay for any partner or lobbyist. The Inquisitor counted each client once per quarter, using the latest amended report.
Quarter by quarter
| Quarter | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| First | $9.38 million | $7.89 million |
| Second | $9.75 million | $7.90 million |
| Third | $9.47 million | $8.10 million |
| Nine months | $28.60 million | $23.89 million |
| Fourth | Due January 2027 | $8.48 million |
The firm listed 278 clients on 2026 reports, more than the 265 it listed for all of 2025, and filed 53 new client registrations through late October. Its reports name 39 lobbyists.
A former regulator’s new client list
Sola served on the Federal Maritime Commission, which regulates ocean shipping in U.S. trade, after President Donald Trump nominated him in 2018 and the Senate confirmed him unanimously. Trump named him chairman on Jan. 20, 2025, and his tenure ended June 30, 2025, according to his departure statement, in which he called himself “a staunch supporter of U.S. LNG as a maritime fuel source.” He had been reappointed by President Joe Biden in 2024, FreightWaves reported.
Thorn Run announced in summer 2025 that Sola had joined as a partner, describing him as a strong advocate for LNG port development. Co-founder Chris Lamond said in the release that Sola would “add a unique and important capability to our firm,” citing maritime trade and tariff policy as a “growing area of client need.” The administration has made rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding and expanding liquefied natural gas exports central planks of its trade and energy agenda.
Most of Sola’s clients registered with the firm in late February and March 2026. Reports list him alongside other Thorn Run lobbyists, and disclose his former position as chairman and commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission.
| Client | Fees, Jan.–Sept. 2026 | What the filings describe |
|---|---|---|
| Bio-LNG Maritime Fuel Coalition | $290,000 | LNG and bio-LNG as ship fuel; registered March 17 |
| Seapoint Industrial Terminal | $270,000 | Manufacturing and logistics hub in Savannah, Ga.; port development |
| Pole Star Space Applications USA | $240,000 | Maritime intelligence and cybersecurity |
| Galveston LNG Bunker Port | $120,000 | Clean marine-fuel provider for Galveston Bay; ended in the third quarter |
| PC Terminals S.A. | $50,000 | Port project in Haiti; ended after the first quarter |
Other clients listing Sola include Solel Boneh, an Israeli infrastructure contractor that paid $90,000 in the first quarter for energy infrastructure work; LCC Group, an energy and logistics supplier whose reports list an Office of Foreign Assets Control license; Scannell Properties, a commercial developer paying $50,000 a quarter; and Vientos del Caribe, a hotel and resort client that registered Sept. 11, 2026, and whose third-quarter report lists the repatriation of seized American property in Venezuela.
Federal rules bar senior officials from lobbying their former agency for one year after leaving. The Bio-LNG coalition’s July–September report is the first of the firm’s 2026 reports reviewed by the Inquisitor to list the Federal Maritime Commission among agencies contacted, a period beginning more than a year after Sola left the commission. Earlier reports for his clients list Congress and agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers, the Commerce, Transportation, Energy, Homeland Security and State departments, and the White House Office. Lobbying reports list agencies contacted on each issue, not which lobbyist made each contact.
The rest of the book
Health care and technology remain the firm’s largest accounts. Alora Pharmaceuticals was its biggest client through September at $410,000, up from $180,000 a year earlier, per its report. CCC Intelligent Solutions, an auto-insurance software company, paid $380,000, up from $180,000, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers paid $330,000, unchanged, according to its report.
New 2026 registrations also show a cluster of manufacturing, semiconductor and minerals clients, including Lawrence Semiconductor, Skorpios Technologies, Photronics and Silvaco Group, along with A1 Lithium, American Lithium Energy and Gunnison Copper, according to the firm’s registrations. The administration has pressed to expand domestic chip production and critical-mineral supplies.
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